K31 7.5x55 dies

[JSH]

Any one seen or heard any more on the Lee dies that were supposed to be correct for the K31?
Some of you had made reference to the Redding dies. A friend of mine had a coupon for Redding equipment and so ordered a set of dies for the K31. I should say he specified that they were for the K31. I ran some of his brass through them when I was helping him set his 550 up a while back. I have to say I didn't see any difference than from what I have in the way they sized. I suspect that he ordered the wrong ones or recieved the wrong ones.
I have neglected this rifle because I don't like the way the two sets of dies I have size them.
Jeff

[mozark]

The last I heard, Lee is not going to change their FLS dimensions on the 7.5x55.

FWIW, I recently aquired a 2006 production set of RCBS 7.5x55 dies, and the FLS die does not size back to GP-11 spec. Cases sized with this die will not chamber in the tight chamber of my K-11. I have no idea if this FLS die is an anomaly. I've thought about sending it to RCBS to be dealt with, but believe I will keep it as is for my K-31.

MM

[versifier]

I bought sets of Lee dies in November, Regular, Collet, & Factory Crimp for my K31 and I am very happy with them. Some of the brass I have was range brass, so I FL'd it first. No problems with chambering, and it was just a tad bit smaller at the shoulder after sizing compared to new once-fired cases from my K31. I don't see what all the fuss is about as far as their dies and the K31, but I do not own a K11 and don't plan to. It is apparently an issue for those older rifles, but it is a non-issue if you're loading for a K31 and I wouldn't think twice about recommending Lee dies to any K31 owner.

[mag_01]

Same here my Lee dies for the K-31 work fine---Adjusted properly and sort of cammed over cleared up my problems---no chambering problems---Rifle is a pleasure to shoot----Mag

[JSH]

I have 2 K31's. I must have gotten some with overly large chambers. The LEE dies well to put it mildly size the living crap<work the brass> to death, or way more than I want. The LEE dies I have were the ones in the flat box, 2 die set. I don't know if the deluxe set comes that way or you have to buy individually? I do know that my 30-30 standard and deluxe sets are way different in the way they work on 30-30 brass and bullet seating dies.
Alos I am not setting them up to cam over, I can barely size part of the neck with out it working about 2/3 of the way down the body of the case. I am using imperial sizing wax, and have even tried some others.
I have tried to polish the Lee's with out any success.
We have been down this road before and I know I am not the only one with this same situation.
I am to the point of buying a 30-284 dies set as long as the mfg. can give me some true spec on it.
Jeff

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I'm shopping for a set of dies for the 7.5 Swiss and as far as I can tell, Lee doesn't sell a Deluxe die set for the 7.5 Swiss. You can either buy a Pacesetter die set or a Collet die set, but you can't buy the 7.5 Swiss as a combination. It appears it could be the dies or it could be certain rifles having long chambers. The answer has obviously not yet been identified it would appear.

I think it may be a wise idea to cerrosafe one's chamber, get some measurements, then call Lee before purchasing the currently available set and to see if the "new" set coming out will be a better fit for one's rifle.

Dave

[fiberoptik]

Redding Dies are the only dies made to actually "FIT" a K-31 chamber. They ain't cheap.

[mike in co]

do a search on this topic. it has been discussed.

most dies will work for both the 1911 and the k31. this is done by over sizing the the brass used only in k31 chambers.

currently the only die available that is correct for the k31 is made by redding.
the part number is in the other thread.

over working may not be an issue if one only shoots lite cast boolit loads.

some of us use j bullets and some of those loads are not mild.

if you have one rifle(k31) and you are full lenght sizing your brass....you need to do some reloading research.

if you want the CORRECT lf die, buy a redding die.

i'll get more flack but , i'm the one that bought four fl dies...three did not allow neck sizing, one did...redding. sent two dies back, sold one and kept the ont that works.

sure wish lee would make a classic hand loader in k31 .

mike in co

[brimic]

if you want the CORRECT lf die, buy a redding die.

i'll get more flack but , i'm the one that bought four fl dies...three did not allow neck sizing, one did...redding. sent two dies back, sold one and kept the ont that works.

I agree. I currently use a RCBS sizing die, which I found after tinkering with it abit, works ok for necking up cases from .284 win, but resizing a fired case is a different matter. I tried setting the die to gently fl resize the case by slightly bumping the shoulder, but what ends up happening is the shoulder is squeazed down so much that its pushed forward. I pretty much have to set my rcbs die to 'cam over' with resizing if I want to have any hope of the brass fitting in a K-31 chamber again.

I continue to use it as another set of Redding dies goes against my frugal sensibilities, but I reccomend NOT buying rcbs 7.5x55 dies if you are only going to reload for K-31s with them.

[texas tenring]

When I bought my Lee 7.5X55 dies, I'm guessing about three years ago all they had was the pacesetter two die set only. That older set of Lee dies does work my graf brass quite a bit and after several reloads I am seeing some evidence of split necks , not that many but some and there is a lot more resistance in the press when sizing compared to other calibers.

After reading this thread I went to the Lee site and found out indeed they do make a collet die set now for the Swiss. I will probably order me one soon, as I really like the Lee collet dies. Neck sizing should prolong case life but I doubt you can do it all the time. You should be able to neck size until you start to encounter resistance chambering and then full length size again as required. I've read on the Swiss web site that neck sizing is not recomended as eventually it gets hard to chamber with the straight pull action(you don't have the camming action of a normal bolt gun to force a snug fit).

There is no doubt the origanal Lee Swiss dies will produce accurate ammo but they do overwork the brass shot in a K-31.

Just my opinion.

[JSH]

mike in co
I could not remember who it was that bought all of those on the original topic, thanks.
A friend of mine got the Redding set that is supposed to be specific to the K31. They seem to be still a bit on the small side.
Jeff

[mozark]

The root of the problem, if it is a problem, lies with the K-31 chamber. Between the 1911 rifles and the 1931 rifles the Swiss changed the chamber slightly, not the cartridge or the GP11 service ammunition. They didn't change the location of the shoulder, and therefore "headspace," but rather allowed more room around the body of the case to allow for battlefield conditions. Not so much as the .303, but more than the 1911 chambers which are uncommonly tight. Neck and throat tolerances are so tight the cartridge remains centered in the bore.

If a die will size for the all 7.5x55 GP-11 based chambers it will seemingly overwork K-31 brass. Cases sized with a Lee die will just chamber freely in my K-11. I was surprised when cases sized in the RCBS dies would not. All the information I had been able to dig up indicated that for the past 30 years the RCBS dies had been cut to return cases to minimum, and so suitable for 1911 or 1931 chambers.
Since I only load for my K11 at this point that was what I was looking for.

There is a lot of extremely knowledgeable discussion on this issue here: http://p083.ezboard.com/The-SwissRif...ommessageboard in the Straight Pull, Reloading and Service Ammunition forums.

MM

[mike in co]

mike in co
I could not remember who it was that bought all of those on the original topic, thanks.
A friend of mine got the Redding set that is supposed to be specific to the K31. They seem to be still a bit on the small side.
Jeff

me thinks the answer is to use them to neck size. you can neck size with this die. inspite of all the hype about the poor camming of the straight pull k31, i have been neck sizing only for some time.
my original comment about why anyone would do more than neck size for a single rifle still applies. there is no reason to be full lenght sizing in most cases.
i did do fl sizing to neck my 284 brass up to 30 cal. this is winchester brass and is for my second k31 and hopefully be a cast boolit rifle.

segregate your brass by rifle and just neck size......
( you may have to bump the shoulder back at some point, but i have had my first k31 for several yrs, one lot of 100 pcs of brass and still just neck sizing)

mike in co

[Bob S]

sure wish lee would make a classic hand loader in k31 .

mike in co

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[mike in co]

damn you bob!.........
one more for me to keep my eyes open for.

so how old is it ???

i have 17-18 lee loaders and a target in 30'06..........

the only real odd one is a 8mm.

thanks for the tease....

mike in co

[Bob S]

Sorry Mike

Not sure when it was made. I found it on eBay about 6-7 years ago. I use it to inside-ream the necks of my 284 cases after I form them to 7.5 and shoot them once. Then I drive them in this die body and use the inside neck reamer from a .308 Target loader in a variable speed drill.

When I neck size, I usually load with a Lyman/Ideal tong tool with a "die set" made up from parts. The "muzzle resizer" was a 30-06 die that has been opened up near the base to take the 7.5 or reformed 284 cases. It goes quicker then this Lee set, makes very accurate ammo, and no hammer is required.

Lee loaders were made for an amazing variety of esoteric cartridges. I have Target loaders for .303 Brit, 7.65x 53 Argentine, 6.5 Mannlicher-Schoeneur, 30-30, 32 special, and 7mm Schultz and Larsen, among other things.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Bear Claw]

FWIW I use Redding's, I neck size only... graff brass...cast and j-word...

And the first thing I found with j-word boolits was the ogive on US boolits is such that you MUST seat it a little deeper or it will NOT chamber, if you doubt that use a boolit comparitor (sic) and you will see the diff. Right now I shoot a 311291 & 311413 cb in my k 31 with x-celant results


B.C.

[JSH]

Some what of an up date here. A small to medium sized show today. I was a bit hesitant to go but I got out. Showed up about 45 minutes after they opened and there was a heck of a line of folks waiting to get in. I don't have much patience when it comes to standing in lines. Finally got inside, place was full up with vendors and customers.
I made a pretty quick pass as I was on a mission any way. Got to a fellow from Boses Guns, Emerson Neb. I have bought a fair jag of stuff from him in the past. Got to chatting and poking around in his dies. A Lee 30-284 jumps out at me and whistles and bells start going off,lol. Grabbed that and a Hornady 30 cal neck die. Bought both of them as i am going to skin this cat one way or the other.
The only 7.5x55 brass I had was some milsurp berdan cases. I took the decap pin out and ran it into the 30-284 die. It just touches the web a we bit and neck sizes just short of bumping the shoulder. Looks like a winner so far. I will get some loaded and shoot a few rounds and give you some feed back, it may be a while as it is windy and cold here.
I did ask him if he had any more of the 30-284 dies and he said yes. They are $26 or $27 I think.
Here is a link, I have not looked at it, but it is on a card

www.bosesguns.com

Somthing else for those of you that are local, do you remember Lane bullets, then E&E? Folks from Nevada Mo bought up all the equipment and are casting, Bushwhacker Bullet Co. Bullets looked very good. I got a sampling of 30 bb 165's to see how they shoot. They are sized a bit small IMHO, 309+. Here is an email addy
jpettibon@aicon.net

Jeff

[Ricochet]

$26-27 is higher than the Lee 7.5x55 dies go for at dealers like Midway. I think mine were about $18. Shipping brings it closer to that, though.

The shoulder is steeper on the .30-284 than on the original 7.5x55, if you're looking at full length dies.

[MtGun44]

Jeff,
Bushwhacker is also bringing powder to the gun shows now, a good trend
now that Arms & Ammo are no longer making the trip to KC area shows.

Bill